After two strong months, HTC’s sales decreased in May

At the beginning of last month, HTC forecasted a strong Q2 performance, and while that guidance is still on the table, it looks like May will actually bring a small decrease in sales compared to the previous month. HTC reported NT$21,065 in revenue, which is 4.59 percent lower than in April, and a whopping 27.37 lower than the same time last year.

So, what happened in May that caused a revenue dip? Theoretically, the month should have been a strong one for HTC, with the One (M8) and, to a lesser extent, the “premium mid-range” Desire 816, available for sale worldwide. It’s possible that most customers who wanted a One (M8) bought one in April, when it first went on sale. And we have to consider that April was a good month, with 36 percent increase over March. But it’s still a bit disheartening to see HTC losing steam so fast after the release of the One.

On the bright side, the positive guidance for Q3 remains in place, meaning that HTC expects good sales in June. The One Mini 2 will go on sale this month in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, as a smaller variant of the flagship One (M8). And, by the end of June, the brand new One (E8), a plastic-clad M8 lookalike, will become available in China, another large and important market for HTC. Will HTC’s strategy to extend the One family pay off? We’ll find out in about a month.